Ashgabat Hosted IV International Gas Congress
Ashgabat hosted the IV International Gas Congress and Exhibition organized by the State Corporation "Turkmengaz" and Turkmenistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 500 delegates from over 30 countries attended, including from the United States, countries of the European Union and CIS, Japan, China, Korea, the UAE, Turkey, and others. Representatives of 150 companies, government agencies, major oil and gas structures, and mass media attended. Foreign businessmen and heads of Turkmenistan’s oil and gas corporations held a number of meetings within the framework of the Congress. “Currently Turkmenistan is actively working to diversify gas export routes, seeing it as a priority of the country’s economic policy,” said Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in his address to the participants of the Congress.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
Oil from Galkynysh Field to Go to China
Gas from Turkmenistan’s largest gas field, Galkynysh (Revival), will be supplied to China, said the Chairman of Turkmengaz State Concern, Kakageldy Abdullaev, during the IV International Gas Congress in Ashgabat. He said that Galkynysh will serve as a base to increase Turkmen gas exports to China, with 25 billion cubic meters of gas going to China every year. In total Turkmenistan plans to send China 65 billion cubic meters of gas annually. According to Abdullaev, the Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – India (TAPI) pipeline will also receive 33 billion cubic meters of gas from Galkynysh annually.
Source: oilru.com
Turkmenistan's Foreign Minister Visited Afghanistan
Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister, Rashid Meredov, visited Kabul to meet with Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai, Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul, and other members of the Afghan government, to discuss cooperation in the energy, transport, and humanitarian sectors, as well as partnership in international and regional organizations.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
US Keen to See Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline Implemented
The US would be happy to see the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline implemented, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Richard Morningstar, told journalists. He noted, however, that ultimately there must be an agreement between the EU, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. Morningstar noted that it is up to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to make a decision and reach an agreement with the EU to move forward." If Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan agree with the EU to build the pipeline, they can do so, because the pipeline will go through the waters that will only be either Turkmen waters or Azerbaijani waters," he said, adding that, "the US position is that if the two countries reach an agreement there would be no obstacles to the laying of the pipeline." Iran and Russia object to the project, saying that it may damage the Caspian Sea's ecology.
Source: trend.az
Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan Violate Agreements on Caspian
In an interview with the Russian Novosti information agency, representative of the Russian Federation to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, commented on the Trans-Caspian pipeline project. “In 2007, the leaders of the five littoral Caspian states – Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Iran -- agreed that all major decisions regarding the Caspian basin will be made by consensus. Naturally, the Trans-Caspian pipeline is a major project. And what did the European Union do – it agreed with two of these five countries and quickly gave a mandate to the European Commission to hold talks with them to determine the legal grounds for the project. The behavior of our colleagues from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan – I leave it to their own conscience. But of course, we are talking to them about it,” – said the Russian diplomat.
Source: gundogar.org
Prospectives for Trans-Caspian and TAPI Pipelines Optimistic: Turkmenistan's Foreign Minister
“The prospects for Turkmenistan gas deliveries to Europe is very real, we just need to work on its implementation,” Rashid Meredov, Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister, said at a briefing devoted to the recently passed UN Resolution “Reliable and Stable Transit of Energy Carriers and Its Role in Stable Development And International Cooperation,” initiated by President Berdymukhamedov in 2007. Answering questions about the prospects for Turkmen gas exports to Europe and the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, which has been under discussion for some time, Meredov noted that, “Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and the EU have been working hard on the tripartite document on the basic principles of gas deliveries from the Caspian region to Europe. Reliability of deliveries to Europe depends directly on the format of our partnership.” The Foreign Minister was also optimistic about the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline (TAPI). “The project is at the stage of development and the gas purchase-sale agreements have been already concluded with Pakistan and India,” Meredov said.
Source: caspianbarrel.org
Turkmen Authorities to Control Funds Sent by Foreign Donors
President Berdymukhamedov ordered the creation of a state commission to supervise all foreign-funded “projects and programs,” as well as to place strict controls on foreign money donated to “legal and physical entities” in Turkmenistan. The decree covers all forms of non-governmental organizations, including religious groups. If implemented in its entirety, the decree would enable the government effectively to take financial control of all forms of non-profit activities in the Central Asian state. It also provides the state with a legal instrument that it could use to starve non-governmental organizations of funding.
Source: eurasianet.org
Turkmenistan and UN Discuss Humanitarian Cooperation
A delegation headed by the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and Head of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ivan Simonovic, held talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan on cooperation in the humanitarian dimension, as well as the prospects for implementing the next phase of the project “Strengthening the national capacity of Turkmenistan to promote and protect human rights.”
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
UNODC International Coordinator Held Meeting at Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry
Victoria Ketliff, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime international coordinator of the project “Strengthening Criminal Justice Capacities of Central Asian Countries to Counter Terrorism in Compliance with Principles of Rule of Law” had a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan to discuss cooperation and joint efforts to fight terrorism and drug trafficking.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
American Writers Held Seminars in Turkmen Universities
In honor of Turkmenistan's National Day of Revival, Unity, and Makhtumkuli Poetry, four American poets from Iowa University visited Turkmenistan and gave seminars and presentations on US literary traditions in Turkmenistan’s State Makhtumkuli University and the International Turkmen – Turkish University.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
Ashgabat enters Guinness Book of World Records as most white-marble city
The Editor in Chief of the Guinness Book of World Records, Craig Glendale, came to Ashgabat to bring a certificate acknowledging the Turkmen capital as the city with highest concentration of buildings lined with white marble in the world. President Berdymukhamedov personally met with Glendale.
Source: Turkmenistan.ru
Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.